USC WR Brenden Rice is the son of the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, Jerry Rice. Naturally saddled with high expectations, how did Rice get to where he is now, poised to follow his father’s footsteps to the NFL?
Where Did Brenden Rice’s Football Career Start?
If we’re being honest here, Rice’s football career probably started the moment he was born. When your dad is the best to ever play his position in the history of the sport, you’ve got a pretty good head start.
Nevertheless, Rice went to high school at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. In his senior year, he caught 49 passes for 851 yards and nine touchdowns.
Although he was only a three-star recruit, Rice received 21 offers, all from Division I programs, 20 of which were from FBS schools. In the end, Rice chose to enroll at Colorado.
Revisiting Rice’s College Career
Colorado
Rice’s first year in college did not go smoothly. In a season mired by the pandemic, he appeared in just six games, catching six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
In his sophomore season (2021), Rice’s role didn’t improve much. He caught 21 receptions for 299 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest impact came on special teams, where he returned 17 kicks, averaging an impressive 27.6 yards per return.
Following the 2021 season, Rice was looking for a change and chose to transfer to USC.
USC
As a junior in 2022, Rice’s first season at USC, he started to progress more. He reeled in 39 passes for 611 yards and four touchdowns.
It might be a bit of a stretch to call Rice’s senior year a true breakout, but it was definitely the best performance of his college career. He secured 45 receptions for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Rice could have opted to return to school for one more year, but at the conclusion of his senior season, he announced his intent to enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
Rice’s Potential in the NFL
Averaging 17.6 yards per reception his senior year, Rice has established himself as a big-play threat. But despite being the son of Jerry Rice, Brenden is far from a polished route runner at this juncture of his development. Pro Football Network draft analyst Ian Cummings explains.
“Rice grades out as a fringe top-100 prospect on my 2024 NFL Draft board. He’s worth mid-to-late Day 2 capital for a team in need of a vertical threat with multi-phase upside and blocking utility. On early Day 3, he’d be an exceptional value pick.
“Rice can still seek greater consistency as a route runner past vertical concepts, and he doesn’t have elite flexibility in that phase. But Rice does have enough flexibility and curvilinear acceleration to build on his arsenal. He has the twitch and quickness to underpin a deep release package, and he can use his physicality to compound separation.
“Rice’s 2024 NFL Draft evaluation requires more projection than most. Even in the vertical plane — his most natural realm — his ball tracking and hand technique can be more consistent as well.
“But Rice has enough functional utility to be a dynamic and durable rotational piece early on, and he could grow to be a solid starter at the X-receiver spot.”
KEEP READING: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Brenden Rice
Given who his dad is, it’s unlikely Rice ever lives up to expectations. Still, that doesn’t preclude Brenden from developing into a quality NFL WR2/3 if things break right.
Rice’s Highlights, Records, and More
Rice did not amass much in the way of individual accomplishments. He appeared in two bowl games and was invited to the Senior Bowl. As a senior, he earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors.
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